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Griff Garrison

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Griff Garrison
Birth nameGarrett Griffith[1]
BornAustell, Georgia, U.S.[2]
Alma materGuilford College[3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Garrett Griffith[1]
Griff Garrison[4]
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[4]
Billed weight202 lb (92 kg)[4]
Trained byLaBron Kozone[4]
DebutOctober 30, 2016[4]

Garrett Griffith is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Griff Garrison. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling and its sister promotion Ring of Honor.

Early life

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Garrison was born in Austell, Georgia, relocating to North Carolina as a youth.[2] He attended North Davidson High School in Welcome, North Carolina, graduating in 2016. While in high school he played American football as a wide receiver. He went on to attend Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, graduating in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in education and history. During his time at Guilford College, he played American football for the Guilford Quakers.[1][3][5]

Professional wrestling career

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Garrison was trained by LaBron Kozone, debuting in 2016.[4][3][6] He initially wrestled for Fire Star Pro Wrestling in his home state of North Carolina. He also appeared with promotions such as the Georgia-based Anarchy Wrestling and Southern Fried Championship Wrestling, winning a variety of championships. In 2019, he began appearing with Ring of Honor.[7] From 2018 to 2020, Garrison teamed with his former schoolmate Markus Cross as "Master and the Machine".[1][8]

In June 2020, Garrison began wrestling for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), appearing on AEW Dynamite and AEW Dark as a jobber. In July 2020, he was paired with Brian Pillman Jr., with the duo dubbed the "Varsity Blonds". The duo went on to compete in AEW's tag team division, competing against teams such as FTR, Private Party, Proud and Powerful, and Hybrid 2. In May 2021, they unsuccessfully challenged the Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.[9] In the same month, Julia Hart joined Garrison and Pillman Jr. as their valet.[10] In July 2021, Garrison and Pillman Jr. were signed to contracts with AEW.[6] In December 2021, Garrison and Pillman Jr. began feuding with Malakai Black after he sprayed Black Mist in Hart's eyes;[11] the feud culminated in a tag team bout pitting the Varsity Blonds against the Kings of the Black Throne (Malakai Black and Brody King) on the January 19, 2022 episode of Dynamite that was won by Black and King.[12] The Varsity Blonds continued to team together until quietly disbanding in October 2022.[13]

In December 2022, Garrison underwent surgery for an undisclosed injury.[14] After over six months of inactivity, he returned to the ring in June 2023 with AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, losing to Lee Moriarty on episode #15 of Ring of Honor Wrestling. In September 2023, Garrison formed a new tag team with Cole Karter, with Maria Kanellis as their valet. Garrison returned to AEW in October 2023, losing to Wardlow in a squash on an episode of Dynamite.[15] In January 2024, Garrison lost to Adam Copeland on an episode of Collision. In April 2024, Garrison unsuccessfully faced ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe in a "Proving Ground" match. At the ROH pay-per-view Death Before Dishonor in July 2024, Garrison teamed with Anthony Henry in a loss to the Infantry.[16]

Professional wrestling style and persona

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Garrison's signature moves include the sleeper hold, spear, spinebuster, and Ivy League Destroyer.[4]

Championships and accomplishments

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  • Anarchy Wrestling
    • Anarchy Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[17]
    • Anarchy Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ben Buchanan (1 time) and Marcus Kross (1 time)[17]
  • Fire Star Pro Wrestling
    • FSPW Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[17]
    • FSPW Zone1 Platinum Championship (1 time)[17]
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Ranked number 280 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021[18]
  • Southern Fried Championship Wrestling
    • SFCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[17]
    • SFCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Marcus Kross[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Coley, Ben (November 23, 2018). "North Davidson alums seek pro wrestling career". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Vasser, Jhanna (November 18, 2019). "Wrestling with the future". Guilford.edu. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Cazer, Andrew (June 23, 2021). "Shining a light on AEW Dark: Griff Garrison". WrestleJoy.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison". Cagematch.net. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Davis, Chanel (December 22, 2021). "Triad wrestler rises to professional wrestling fame". Yes! Weekly. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Rose, Bryan (July 12, 2021). "The Varsity Blonds officially sign with AEW". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - career". Cagematch.net. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - tag teams & stables". Cagematch.net. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - matches - All Elite Wrestling". Cagematch.net. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Collins, Joseph (May 11, 2021). "AEW Dark results: Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs. Milk Chocolate". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022. Hart has been added to the Varsity Blonde as a cheerleader...
  11. ^ Rose, Bryan (December 15, 2021). "Punk, Allin, and Sting vs. MJF & FTR set for AEW Dynamite". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022. Also announced for next week's show is a singles match between Griff Garrison of the Varsity Blonds and Malakai Black. Garrison cut a promo on Dynamite promising revenge for Julia Hart, who Black attacked last week by spraying her with black mist.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - matches - 2022". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Blonds - matches". Cagematch.net. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "Griff Garrison announces he had surgery, says he'll be back 'in no time'". Yahoo.com. December 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - matches - 2023". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - matches - 2024". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Griff Garrison - titles". Cagematch.net. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2021". ProFightDB.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
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